Jonathan Rea is hoping to put an injury-plaged 2011 season behind him when World Superbikes return at Phillip Island this weekend.
Northern Irishman hoping for better luck in 2012
Jonathan Rea is eager to put his injury-hit 2011 season behind him when the 2012 Superbike World Championship kicks off at Phillip Island in Australia this weekend.
The Northern Irishman, one of the brightest young stars in the series, had been seen as a potential title contender aboard his Honda but the team struggled to get the best out of the CBR1000RR and wrist, arm and collarbone injuries suffered in mid-season then kept Rea sidelined for two months.
But the 25-year-old did manage to pick up two wins, and ended the season with an encouraging double podium at Portimao.
And while Rea, who is partnered by former MotoGP racer Hiroshi Aoyama, insists he and the team still have plenty of work to do on their machine despite showing encouraging pace, he is raring to go at the Victoria track this weekend.
He said: "We're where we kind of expected to be and we know that to win here is going to be a very big task.
"(Defending champion) Carlos (Checa) is riding very well and consistently but we're still changing things on the bike because I'm still not 100% satisfied with the set-up.
Back on track
"It's been really good just be on track with the others though, and I'm really enjoying riding the bike.
"I can really feel what the bike's doing and the electronics are working really well. I'm looking forward to Friday's sessions."
Spanish veteran Checa continues with the Althea Ducati team this season and was the class of the field for the majority of this week's pre-season test, despite his Ducati carrying a 6kg handicap in an effort to limit its superiority.
His principal title rivals from last season, Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri, will again look to be among the front-runners as the former continues with Aprilia while Melandri has moved to BMW.
